Edition #153
The last time I wrote was while I was standing in front of about 100 people at jvAlert Live in Orlando. Those of you who received that email learned about the live experiment we were doing (creating and launching a product in less than 90 minutes).
For those of you who grabbed a copy of it, thanks for making our experiment a big success! Also, sorry if you found the product to be a bit “half baked” at the time. As you probably guessed, we were simply in a crunch for time 😉 We have since updated the ebook with many more tips, fixed the broken bonus links, etc. If you’re interested, you can check it out at:
(link no longer available)
Second, I must tell you that jvAlert Live is an excellent event and I highly recommend that you make plans to attend one. It’s truly different from any other internet marketing seminar that I’ve been to. Specifically, it has a much higher emphasis on networking and forming joint ventures… and as funny as it sounds, the people there are just nicer!
In addition to catching up with some old friends, I met dozens of fantastic people including many Eric’s Tips readers, and also my newest JV Partner with whom I am launching a cutting edge web traffic arsenal on the 29th of this month (stay tuned).
I also brought my family along for the trip, so we took a few days to go to Disney World and the beach…
(We went to Epcot one day and Magic Kingdom one day. My wife and I liked Epcot best… of course our kids liked Magic Kingdom)
(We also had a nice day at Cocoa Beach… there was hardly anyone there, which was a nice way to relax after Disney World)
OK, now that we’ve got the fun stuff out of the way, I’d like to tell you about something more serious that I found out about at the seminar.
One of the attendees, Kathleen Donaghy, has been facing some financial hardships. I’ll spare you the personal details, but to make a long story short she is close to losing her house.
However, she has just released a new product, and with a successful product launch she can save her house.
Now, please don’t pass any judgment, because any one of us could find ourselves in a similar situation at any time.
At the seminar, a number of us pledged to help spread the news about her new product, including myself. It just so happens that it’s something that I would have been interested in reviewing regardless of the situation.
As you know, I’ve been very involved with online video, and have released some video-related products of my own in the past year. What Kathleen has put together is a set of “video opt-in templates”, which I think fits perfectly with what I’ve been teaching and recommending.
There’s no doubt that video can help increase your conversion, and a video opt-in box or video squeeze page can improve your opt-in rate to build your list more effectively.
She’s actually giving away a FREE video opt-in skin, along with some bonuses. All you have to do is sign up and you can download it instantly.
However, I encourage you to grab a copy of the package she is selling on the One Time Offer. As I mentioned, she could really use any help, and I know she will appreciate your business.
To get the details just go to…
(link no longer available)
I should also mention that Kathleen has been an Eric’s Tips subscriber for a couple years now. I met her for the first time at Yanik’s Underground Seminar last year, and she’s a very kind person.
She’s a filmmaker by profession, and a couple years back she dedicated her time and life savings to producing a documentary to capture a very interesting piece of American history.
Here’s the trailer of her documentary, entitled, An American Beach:
(link no longer available)
No matter how inspiring the film is, being an independent filmmaker is still a tough way to make a living.
By the way, I’m sure that there are more than a handful of you that are in similar or even worse financial hardships. I want to say this now so that I don’t get bombarded by requests…
I wish I could help each of you, but I can not. It just wouldn’t be possible for me at this time. However, I want to give you some quick advice.
To summarize it in three words: Have a firesale.
One thing that I’ve learned through my experience and research is that any special “discount” or firesale is much more effective if there is a compelling reason behind it.
For example, if you have a special 3-day “50% off” sale without a “reason”, you might see only moderate success. But if you add a reason for the 3-day event, it could boost your conversions considerably. For example you could say it’s a 3-day sale in honor of your birthday, or a 3-day sale to pay for a hospital bill, or a firesale to pay your unexpected taxes, etc.
At first glance, you might think I’m telling you to “exploit” a situation, but the key here is that it’s NOT manipulative if it’s true AND you have the customer’s best interest at heart.
In other words, it would be unethical to make up a fake reason, but if you have a real reason there’s nothing wrong with using it.
Some of you might remember my “Wisdom Tooth Firesale” that I held a couple years ago, which paid my oral surgery bills. Then last winter I had a “Frozen Pipe Firesale” to pay for the damage caused by a frozen faucet on our house.
Of course those “needs” pale in comparison to others, but they were good reasons to have a sale. And if you do have a “serious” reason (losing your house, illness of a child, feeding children in Africa), it’s all the more reason for a firesale because those are the type of causes that tend to attract the attention of the online community, and lots of marketers may chip in to promote it.
In Kathleen’s case, I think she should do a “save my house” sale, but she’s too modest. But I can certainly see how it would be difficult to ask for help, and I hope that I would have the courage to do so in a similar situation.
Anyway, hopefully we will be able to propel Kathleen to a successful product launch.
As always you can post your comments here on the blog.
Have a great day!
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I found your site on technorati and read a few of your other posts. Keep up the good work. I just added your RSS feed to my Google News Reader. Looking forward to reading more from you.
Jason Rakowski
am very happy to join such an interesting event.thanks
Darn mortgage companies.
I hope her launch totally rocks, and thanks for sharing your pics from Orlando Eric!
Warmest,
Jonathan
Hi Eric,
Nice Pictures.Helping others is a nice thing.
Keep up the good work.
Thanks,
Kannan Viswagandhi
http://www.truemlmrockstar.com
FROM ORLANDO NICE PICTURES AND HAPPY FAMILY,MY GREETINGS FROM CAIRO-EGYPT
SAID HASSAN.
Thanks for sharing all the great information. Instant jv secrets is a great product.
Thanks for all the great info,
Dave Dockhorn
Eric, I have the skin,the program and a lot other stuff from my recent buys. I wish sometimes I was
in a better position to help others around me. There are class examples of people who are really hurting and need help from whatever resource is available. The Power of Persuasion is the ability to confront your fears and change what you can & accept defeat when there is nothing else left. I always enjoy these brief letter writing examples, hope all is well for you.
Excuse me … BUT …
Don’t they normally charge BIG BUCKS for attending
these type seminars? If so, why didn’t she just make
a mortgage payment instead.
Now please don’t think me the bad guy here, but I always
have to question the validity of requests for help. Heck,
I couldn’t attend ANY seminar. I’m 30 days behind on
mortgage due to unexpected medical expenses after
two back to back bouts with surgery. You don’t see me
asking for help on my new product launch.
Just my two cents worth.
Sugary, sugary does not sell unless you are Liberace’.
Why not post a “Happy Families” website for the
meek and mild? We’ve all got familes, but some
have grown up in the meantime, so what’s big
about yours?
Good question Paul. I think jvAlert was about $1500. Now, I don’t know all the details of her personal finances, nor do I know whether she had made a special arrangement to attend the seminar… but here’s how I see it. Assuming she paid full price to attend; she took a calculated risk on her business, which is something every sucessful entrepreneur has to do at some point. If she had put that $1500 toward her mortgage it would have been a temporary fix, which would not solve her cash flow problem. Instead, she attended a seminar that is known within our industry to be one of the best places for getting JV partners. I can guarantee you that the partnerships she made at the seminar will be worth multiples of the price of the seminar. But again it was a CALCULATED risk, and I would not advise anyone to take money away from their mortage payment unless they were very sure that the risk would pay off.
Harry- to answer your question… my family is the best family in the world!
Paul,
Maybe the cost of the workshop 1) wasn’t enough to save the house and/or 2) was an investment made in order to get the word out about her product so she could sell enough to save the house, i.e. she put herself in the right place at the right time. Money well spent if she can sell enough to save her house. I wish her the best.
Anita
Hey Eric,
The internet can be so unfeeling at times, you know, everybody is just trying to get money out of you.
It was very refreshing to read your blog. You have a beautiful family Eric, you truly are blessed.
Enjoy your life and I look forward to your newsletter in the future.
Sincerely,
Jerry
Theres always the emergency cash ebooks. Giving certainly has its rewards….if you dont understand that then you just have to learn it. With that said….I know some marketers in Philippines and Singapore who make Amercian marketers look like lazy over night riches mongers who just dont take advantage of the opportunities they have.
I have been your reader and its always nice to go through your news letter. You really have a good family and very happy to see you all in one pic. Nice. Keep writing Eric.
Eric,
It was great meeting you at JV Alert. I look forward to your product launch. Let me know if you need any help getting it launched.
As for Paul’s comment, when you buy an early bird ticket, the cost is only about half, so roughly about $750. Kathleen stated in the seminar that she needed to raise $8k in 8 days, so the $750 would not have helped, while the number of people who now know about her product launch has reached the thousands thanks to her $750 investment.
I wonder why this person is on Eric’s list except maybe to be a professional heckler? I know Kathleen very well and she has poured a lot of her time and unfortunately money into a few marketing products and this one is the one that she was able to get to market in time to possibly save her home. I have faith that more people have kindness in their hearts than have sourness and bile on their lips.
So here is to Eric for being the kind-hearted gentleman that he is!
By the way, Eric, I really enjoyed the panel discussion of the gang from The Next Internet Millionaire! I especially liked Jaime Luchuck, what a personality she has. She spoke like a professional at the seminar and I look for her to go places in this industry!
Also, while I am at it, you do have a most wonderful family. I was glad to see that you were able to bring the whole family with you to the land of Mickey! That age is when they believe in magic with all of their hearts, and the wonders of Disney allow them to confirm it.
Have an amazing day!
Micheal Savoie
Hey Michael- it was great meeting you too! You are right, thousands of people have now been exposed to her product… in fact it looks like I’ve sent several hundred visitors already and added over a hundred subscribers to her list. One thing I should have mentioned is that we can have an exponential impact by utilizing the viral nature of her site (it’s run on the butterfly script). Everyone who signs up gets an affiliate link so there is an incentive for them to turn around and help out by promoting her launch as well.
As for Paul’s comment though… no worries. I totally value differing opinions, as long as its kept clean and not any personal attacks.
Eric,
If someone was going to go the firesale route, what software should they use? I’ve heard about JV Manager, but are there other types of software you recommend and how would one go about finding people to promote the firesale?
Thanks
Hi Eric,
You have a “Happy family”
Thank you for your great information.
I would like to do same you, but I can not do it now. Because…….many cause.
Enjoy your life !
Sincerely
Katty Huang
very cute family , i am also poor , i have no own house, i am in crises
Eric,
Thanks for all your newsletters, i want to say that i love your family, keep the fire on, God bless your lovely wife whom i understood she is a woman of faith, who stood by you and the children by making sure her family are heaven’s candidates, regards to her pls.
Thanks and may God bless.
Hi Eric,
It is so nice of you sharing your family life. And it is also beautiful of you to help others as you do.
Yes, I will sign up on her list.
All the best!
brother Eric, i want appreciate the wonderful tips you’ve sending to me. thank you very much. but some thing happen. in my box i left it open some time ago some body went there and delete all the mails in my box. it was painful but i have endure it.
please can you send me the free 10 e-books again i lost it when every mail was deleted from my box. 2ndly how can i really become internet marketer am really interested.
am looking forward to hear from you.
your brother michael
Leron- good question. I personally do not use any software to run my firesales. There are some programs out there which automatically track your inventory and/or authomatically raise the sales price at preset intervals. However, I do not see this as necessary. I basically do this:
-make sure the headline of the page conveys the urgency of the firesale
-reiterate it a couple times in the sales letter, especially right before the order box.
I also find it effective to have a sliding price…
-create a “table” showing the price increase schedule, like this:
January 1st – $67.00
January 2nd – $97.00
January 3rd – $127.00
Another way to do it would be to make it quantity based, rather than by date:
1st 50 copies = $47
51-100 = $97
101 – 200 = $147
After 200 copies are sold, we are sold out.
hopefully that helps.
Michael- you can download the 10 free ebooks here
Great pictures, its nice to be nice to the nice.
Hi Eric,
As always, you have come through for someone in need. I think that is one of the traits that
make you an extraordinary human being. Your devotion to humanity is reflected in your families
faces. I see the happiness in their eyes. That is a gift to few people possess.
I am sure that with this recommendation, and your help, Kathleen will be able to make enough
to save her house.
God Bless.
Keep up the great work that you do.
Ed
Wow! Mere words are not enough to express the gratitude I feel toward you, Eric, and for you, the reader of Eric’s Tips. I appreciate that so many people from here have signed up for the FREE Video and Video Skin offered, and that others took advantage of an expanded package of videos, video skins, and other bonus products for list building and business building.
I hope you don’t mind if I take up some space here to share a bit more of ‘my story’ so that some of the questions people have will be answered.
Being self-employed for over 14 years and living practically hand-to-mouth for more than half of that time, I started working on several video products specifically for the internet marketing community in July of 2007. It wasn’t long before I ran into problems with technology and computer hardware (mine are old, slow, and buggy), which delayed for months the release of what I was creating.
But with my focus on providing tremendous value to those who bought, I took the time needed to “get things right,†instead of “get it out now and fix what’s wrong later.†That definitely slowed me down, and was partially the reason I ended up in the financial predicament I now find myself in.
As Eric and a few others suggested, I did take a calculated risk by going to JV Alert Live instead of putting that money toward my mortgage, but I did not go there with the intent to solicit “help†with my financial challenges. I went there to look for JV Partners for my new product launch, because it is one of the BEST events to go to for that specific purpose. And yes, Eric’s right… the people are “just nicer†there.
It all starts at the top with Ken McArthur, who has to be one of the most passionate as well as compassionate marketers in the IM space. He has a HUGE heart and is genuinely sincere in his desire to help other marketers succeed. He’s one of my favorite people on the planet. 🙂
Because I didn’t arrive until Saturday evening—I was finishing up my website—I had missed two days of networking. There were only two people that I told about my circumstances when I was there. I trusted them not to say anything to anyone else. I did not want “sympathyâ€â€¦ I wanted my product to stand on its own. I had already secured a JV Partnership agreement with Mike Filsaime and ‘Million Dollar’ Mike Morgan, so I knew my product could be considered “worthy†of promoting by other marketers.
But timing was an issue… my site was still having the kinks worked out, and their promotions might not run for another week or more.
Have you ever had a “magic momentâ€â€¦ where something happened, or someone said something that you KNEW you had to act on, without thinking it out beforehand?
That’s what happened Sunday afternoon as the event was coming to a close. A gentleman got up during the Q&A segment and said something that made me rise to my feet without thinking, then stand in a very short line of people waiting to speak to the remaining attendees and expert panelists. The compulsion was so strong, I felt as if I was being guided by an external force.
I need to mention that I intensely dislike speaking in front of people unless I have planned something out well in advance, and am well-rested. But with a total of 8 hours sleep in the previous four days, I had no idea what I was going to say until I started speaking.
As I stood there and shook nervously, the words that came out were related to the cycle many of us fall into of buying product after product without taking action on what we learn… and how I finally managed to interrupt that pattern by focusing on my first solo product and creating my first Butterfly site (I’d had the script for over two years)… and how it was finally ready to have some traffic sent to it.
But it was there, in one sentence filled with emotion, that I disclosed what was riding in the balance. I shared it only because of what was said by the man who spoke earlier. What I did not expect was the overwhelming response from the people in the room. To say it was supportive would be an understatement. There was so much love and encouragement and interest to help, it was palpable. And the emails and phone calls I’ve received after people have actually LOOKED at what I’m offering have been even more positively encouraging and personally rewarding to me.
So, yes, it was a calculated risk to attend JV Alert Live, but it’s not the first time there was a risk in attending an IM event when the money could have been used to pay other bills. The reason I took that risk, and will continue to take future risks for as long as it takes me to succeed, is because I know how important relationships are in building a real business online.
Over the past three years, I’ve come to know personally many of the top marketers in the IM space, and I even have a project planned that will include many of them. This would never have been possible had I not taken the chances I did by going to the seminars and workshops where potential JV partners congregate. Of course it doesn’t hurt that I live in Florida where a large number of events are held that only require a couple of hours’ drive. But I also traveled to the northeast and the northwest this past year, at great expense, all in the hopes of making connections with other like-minded marketers.
I don’t know how successful my product launch will be, or if it will be enough to save my home and set things right for me financially. But I do know that I won’t give up! My belief is that the video products I’m providing other marketers will benefit many of them, and I’ll keep working at making whatever I produce better… and better… and better.
I would encourage you to do the same. Take action, and then keep improving upon whatever it is you’re doing.
So thanks Eric, for making your readers aware of what I’m offering, and for being so kind and thoughtful in the answers you’ve provided to people’s questions here about me. And thank you, the visitor to this site, for taking the time to check out what I’ve created… and for reading this rather lengthy post. I really do appreciate your attention, and wish YOU the best of success in all your marketing endeavors. 🙂
It was awesome finally meeting you in Orlando Eric! I’m the guy who took a pic with you and my head was the size of a Thanksgiving Day parade float! LOL! Let me know where to send that pic my ninja!
Kathleen is on my list and you’re right, one of the sweetest ladies you’ll ever meet!!! I’ll be getting a hold of her so I can promote her optin videos as well! If you have a list, please check out Kathleen’s product and promote it if it vibes with what you have going on!
Will you be at JV Alert in Philly? I should be, can’t wait to hang with you my man. It was hard to get a word in edge-wise in Orlando, people mob around you like a rock star, keep up the awesome work my friend!
Theo Baskind
Eric,
Thanks for answering my question, which leads me to ask another question.
1) How many products should I include in my firesale? I have resell rights to lots of products at my disposal.
2) How do you promote your firesales? Do you use affiliates? I don’t currently have a list to market to. I’m hoping that I can sign up for aweber with some of the proceeds from my firesale
3) What payment processor do you use/recommend? Right now I have Paypal – is that ok?
Thanks for all your help,
Leron
Hey, great to be here as well.
I’m one of Eric’s readers as well but rarely clicked the link to the blog. Sorry Eric.
Now I’ve made amends haven’t I?
Nice pics. I envy the other readers who got to meet each other. I’m on the other
side of the world and couldn’t be in touch on a regular basis.
I hope Kathleen will do fine. Keep it strong there, Kathleen.
Hey Eric,
It was great to see you again at jvAlert Live. You are a class act all the way.
I’m really fortunately to have a pretty amazing family of friends and you can see here that they really care about each other. Thanks to everyone for your kind words.
Kathleen was doing exactly what she should be doing, taking strong action to move herself towards her goals. I love seeing that in people because that it one of the key factors that makes the difference in actually getting there. The other thing that can’t be overemphasized is that Kathleen completed an amazingly high quality product that stands on its own and she never asked anyone to consider it on anything other than the high-quality of her product.
I know that anything that I might say about the importance of attending live events might be seen as self-serving. After all I produce high-ticket live events and it’s in my interest that people attend them and see the value.
But the truth is a bit more complicated.
Odd as it seems, my real purpose in hosting jvAlert Live was never to make money. It was to be able to spend time with people that I care about deeply. But even that purpose changed as we continued the magic of our events, because at every single event since the very first one, I’ve seen people change their lives. They grow, they influence, they succeed in so many ways that go beyond the money of the moment.
So the magic of the jvAlert Live family is the people that go from despair and frustration into new and exciting places. No it doesn’t happen automatically for everyone and you have to actually take action — like Kathleen did — to make it happen. But it does happen and it’s very real.
In almost every mention that I make of jvAlert Live, I tell people that I never want money to be the reason that someone doesn’t come to jvAlert Live, so I’ll repeat that now to all of your readers Eric. If money IS the reason that you aren’t coming to jvAlert Live, then just let me know and I will do EVERYTHING that I can to take away that problem, because it is vital to my achieving my own goals in life that people see the possibilities and I know that you can do that at a live event.
And I’m not the only event promoter that feels that way. Most people in my business want to help people. It’s in our blood. If you want to find out how wonderful people can be, just give them a chance. Sure, people can disappoint you, but if you stop expecting and start giving you will be amazed at the results.
Kathleen is amazing. She has amazing talent, a great product and a winning spirit that will carry her through a LOT of potential problems. When you have the chance to help someone like that, it’s a pleasure to do it. because that kindness will be multiplied so many times that you can’t even begin to fathom the impact.
We all make a difference, whether we want to or not. Let’s take a stab at spreading the best of what people have to offer.
All the best,
Ken
Ditto to Eric, Ken, Micahael S., and Kathleen.
Great to meet and associate with such as genuine group of people. See you at the next jvAlertLive.
– Cheri
Hi Erik,
I have been reading and following your ‘Tips’ for a while now but when I read about Kathleen’s plight of losing her home, I immediately was reminded of that which I do for FREE which is to selectively give Money away as a ‘JumpStart’. That’s correct, I stated that and with no strings attached as well. If She would email me at normar3347@yahoo.com with just her email address, I will send her the information so she can receive the amount of $3500 by overnight Courier as often as desired. I cannot pass the information on as “Public Info” because this is from a member of a Private Club who only does this on an individual basis and only by personal invitation.
Norman